Lancaster Brewery team hoping to boost interest in ale in China

Lancaster Brewery is introducing its beers to a whole new audience of craft ale fans this month in China.

In partnership with Lancaster University – under its China Catalyst programme, which helps to exploit the global links of Lancaster University for the benefit of UK companies – Lancaster Brewery’s managing director Matt Jackson is currently representing the brewery in China during a two month campaign, organised by The Happy Monk pub chain.

The activity, which aims to establish distribution links across China for Lancaster Brewery ales, was launched with a ‘Meet the Brewer and Taste the Beer’ event in Guangzhou, Guangdong, hosted by Jackson.

Lancaster Brewery has already been exporting to the Guangdong province in China since July 2016, helping to quench the thirst of expats living in China and of the Chinese people that have worked or studied in the UK and have acquired a taste for real ale.

Previous activities in China, including an event where Lancaster Brewery beers were paired with traditional Lancashire dishes such as Lancashire Hot Pot, have been run to provide an authentic Lancashire experience for those who are tasting craft ales for the first time.

Managing director Matt Jackson said: “There’s an emerging market in China for the export of authentic British products, which are increasingly in demand.

“Add to that the rising disposable income of many people in the country and it makes it a fantastic opportunity for Lancaster Brewery to expand its international sales.

“Our trip to China this month supports the work that has already taken place to secure a distributor in the Guangdong province, with the long term aim of achieving additional distribution avenues in other regions, including Shanghai and Hong Kong, in the near future.”

Mark Westall, operations manager at Lancaster Brewery, said: “This is all part of our push to export our craft ales around the world.

“Lancaster Brewery has recently become proud members of the Institute of Export, which helps to support the interests of British exports and will mean that you will be able to get a taste of Lancashire on your travels around the globe.”

Lancaster Brewery has previously exported its ales to America, Norway, Sweden and Majorca, and will be exporting beer to Russia and Italy, alongside China, early in the New Year.